Mouthwash: To rinse or not to rinse?

Studies have shown that regular tooth brushing along with the use of a mouthwash can significantly reduce plaque and gingivitis, more so than just brushing. The reason being, brushing focuses on just the teeth, which is just 25% of the mouth, whereas a mouth rinse can reach nearly all of the mouth’s surfaces. Even with regular brushing and flossing, bacteria often gets left behind. Brushing along with the use of a germ killing mouth rinse twice a day can significantly reduce plaque as well as gingivitis.

A six-month study was conducted on two groups that included 139 adults with mild to moderate plaque and gingivitis. Members of the first group brushed their teeth twice a day with a germ-killing mouthwash while members of the second group brushed their teeth twice a daily and rinsed with a placebo mouthwash. The results showed that the group using a germ killing mouthwash had a reduced occurrence of plaque by up to 26.3% and a 20.4% reduction of gingivitis.

Additionally, following the six-month study, nearly 100 percent of participants using the germ-killing mouthwash showed a reduction in gingivitis, while only 30 percent of the placebo group experienced similar results.

As per statistics, most people brush their teeth for less than 1 minute and less than 10% of people floss regularly. Adding a germ-killing mouthwash twice a day to your daily routine is just an additional way to attack the germs that can cause significant oral health problems.